Servant of Fate
by opshipperondeck
Summary: Sanji gets the unique opportunity to right a lot of wrongs. But at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

Hey fellas, I kinda did a thing again. Meaning that I started to write a short story / oneshot that I initially wanted to submit for Sanami June Bride-stuff. Action? Initiative? I don't know, but it's a good thing, that I'm sure of. Alright, my point is that I've decided against it, mostly for two reasons. The first one is that it's simply not good enough, especially compared with the art other people have submitted etc. (this looks a whole lot like I'm fishing for compliments, I know, but it's actually my honest opinion.). The second reason is that while I was writing the story, the actual topic of wedding/bridal stuff went so far into the background that I couldn't feel good about submitting it.

What else? This story is relatively short and mostly finished, probably 4-5 pages to go, at most. Until those are finished, I will upload one part every day, just to get it out. When I've finished the rest of the story, I'll upload it all at once.

That being said, I hope you can somewhat enjoy this.

Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters don't belong to me.

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 **Servant of Fate Part 1**

" _Too many things can't be explained_

 _How they came to be_

 _With all your cards and crystal prophecies_

 _Can we really see?_

 _A solution for us all?_

 _Or are we lost forever, always to fall?"_

 **Demon – Victim of Fortune (From: The Unexpected Guest)**

Things weren't exactly working out as well as he dearly hoped they would, that much was certain.

The woman he desired for so long was just standing out of arm's reach, facing the ground instead of him, hands balled into fists. Maybe she was trying to hold back tears, maybe it was barely contained anger in face of his impudence, he couldn't tell. It didn't do anything to change the situation they were in. Their part of the crew, consisting of Luffy, Brook, Chopper, themselves and their newest _nakama_ , Carrot, had finally managed to escape the nightmare that Whole Cake Island had been, once again emerging victorious from the most gruesome battle they had yet faced.

When the news of their victory reached the public, a sigh of relief could be heard around the known world. Another tyrant defeated, thousands of souls were finally free to follow their own will. People who had known nothing but thralldom all throughout their lives were now able to seek their worth in the world without a yoke around their neck. The sound of broken shackles resounded all over the seas when the combined might of the Straw Hat Pirates, Jinbe, still called 'The Knight of the Sea', and Capone 'Gang' Bege brought about the fall of Big Mom and her crew.

Things really should have been working out better by now.

Unfortunately though, they weren't. Here they stood, under the cover of a starry, silent night, not being able to exchange more than one word at a time. His right hand was concealing the sole reason for this silence. He didn't even need to show it to her, to even ask her the most important question of his life and she had already told him that she - no, they - couldn't.

"Nami- _san_ ," he tried to approach her again, but the only answer he needed was the shaking of her head, setting her beautiful, fiery-red mane in motion. Still, he couldn't make out if she was angry or if there was something else lying underneath. What did it matter, though? As a gentleman, he had to accept her answer, even if it was one of the things he feared to hear the most. The desire to hold her, to try to make her reconsider her decision, was there, of course, but forcing something like that after he received her negative answer would neither help one bit nor was it what Zeff raised him to be.

Without another word, even another glance, she left the deck, leaving him to his own thoughts, with only the stars and an obsidian sky to keep him company.

And high up in the sky, someone - or something - let out an annoyed sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour passed and he couldn't do anything but smoke and stare at the open sea, a sight that usually had a soothing effect on him. It meant freedom and adventure, it reminded him of times past, old and new friends, of his dream, of his true family. The open sea eased the pain of all the wounds he had sustained throughout his life, even throughout the last weeks. A miraculous cure for just about anything.

Anything but a broken heart.

No amount of cigarettes would be able to numb the pain of a broken heart, no hours on end of watching the black sea at night, not even the timeless beauty of all the stars in the sky.

Just when he was about to put another cigarette between his lips, his Kenbunshoku Haki awoke and raised the alarm, enabling him to grab on to Sunny's rail a split second before the tempest arrived. The storm wind's advent was short and brutal, like the powerful beat of a gigantic wing, but other than taking the smoke from his lips, it did not do any damage to the ship or his still bruised body. Sanji had only raised one arm to cover his face while he used to other to cling to the rail, thus, if only for a moment, he wasn't able to see what was happening on deck.

It sure did surprise him when he finally realised what the wind had brought onto the ship.

 _An ambush? A devil fruit-user!_

Only a moment later he had both his hands stowed within his pockets and, ignoring the pain of his most recent wounds, raised his right leg to defend his crew and himself.

Surprisingly enough, that seemed to be a waste of time, as the unexpected guest was neither armed nor seemed to be hostile. He simply raised a hand to greet him, a weary smile on his lips.

"She's got an adamantine will, hasn't she?", his voice was deep, pleasant to listen to and didn't carry even the slightest threat.

"Eavesdropping is considered incredibly impolite throughout this world. Who the hell are you?!", Sanji was unconsciously raising his voice to gloss over the fact that this stranger, as mundane and unthreatening as he seemed, scared the living guts out of him.

When a person uses Kenbunshoku or, as it is sometimes called, Observation Haki, a lot of changes happen within the perception of said person. First and foremost, all of their senses are sharpened to overcome basic human limits, some people are even able to enhance and refine this type of Haki so much that they are enabled to look a few seconds into the future. One shared trait of all users of it, though, was that they were able to literally see and feel a person's aura, to sense their strength. If you looked at a living legend, like the Red-haired Shanks, for example, it would be like gazing right into the sun, while a normal human being would have an aura that was rather easy to look at.

The stranger was different, though. No matter how much Sanji tried, there was nothing to see or feel about him, the second sight that his Haki granted him wasn't able to get the slightest grasp about who or what he was facing. Considering that even their undead bard Brook did possess, even though a slightly altered, aura, this was a very real reason to be concerned.

"I'm just a humble servant, wishing you no harm.", was the answer he received, but considering the lack of something he could work with, it was a little hard to believe. Watching this man with his normal eyes, he still didn't seem like much of a threat. A little smaller than himself, with a clean-shaven face and brown eyes, there was nothing of particular note about him. He was clad in a dark suit and wore a tie of the colour of a ruby, had brown eyes and a rather distinct chin. Only his long, dark hair, which he wore untied, and that reached even over his hips was something that was even slightly out of the orderly.

"A servant of whom?! And you still didn't answer on why you were eavesdropping.", Sanji's leg was still raised, just out of caution. Not being able to read him was a stressful situation in and of itself.

"You will understand in time, my friend. For now, the only thing you have to know is that the incredibly strong will of your navigator, even though admirable, is a great obstacle.", he slowly walked towards Sanji, brushing his shoulder as he passed. Strangely enough, it sounded somewhat like the rustling of feathers.

"So you're here to break her will?! I won't let that happen, you bastar-..", he breathed in sharply when he turned around to follow the stranger, only to see that the stranger was no more, someone different had taken his place.

 _An okama?!_ , the thought didn't occur by chance. Were just a minute ago the stranger was a man, there stood a woman in his place. A beautiful woman nonetheless, at least one could think that when seeing her, absolutely stunning, back. It was adorned with a small tattoo on her left shoulder, depicting a black bird, possibly a raven. When she turned around to look at him, his heart made a small leap. Contrary to all the other _okama_ he had met (too many, at least for his taste) throughout his life, this woman looked exactly like a woman should look. She wore a black dress that exposed much of her back and had eyes that were of the clearest emerald green, a face in the shape of a heart, the perfect mixture of youthfulness and maturity, dark hair that was pinned up to provide an excellent look onto her flawless neck. In another time, another place and another story, he would have been swooning all over her within a moment's thought.

"I've had my fair share of _okama_ for one lifetime, you won't blindside me.", even though the words left his mouth, his right leg was lowered.

"Oh, that wasn't my intent. And I'm not an _okama_ , my friend. I'm neither one nor the other, but more than the sum of their parts. I just thought that you'd prefer this form of mine.", she smiled to support her smoky, seductive voice, but his will was unwavering for once, at least when it came to physical attraction.

"I still don't know what you want from me.", by now, his right foot had reached the ground and the tension within his body was mostly gone. She smiled again.

"Your captain wants to be the King of Pirates, my friend. And he won't be able to achieve that if even one piece of the confusing and strange puzzle that you call 'crew' is missing, but with all the pieces together, it is possible.", she took a small break and watched the sky.

"Unfortunately, you wanting to ask her to marry you has set a different chain of events in motion.", she sighed, facing him.

"Everything in this world exists and will continue to exist until a sufficient force acts against it. This force, my friend, is her iron will. No, it's not that she doesn't want to be with you. It's that she does not want to see you die, even less so after a commitment of such gravity. As you know, her whole life was a tragic story of love and loss, of purest joy and deepest sorrow. The whole of you are walking down a dangerous path. Death could take anyone of you within the blink of an eye, and after losing so much, she is sure that losing you would destroy her. Even more so when the both of you are committed to each other as lovers.", all of a sudden, the woman looked and sounded rather weary and tired, while Sanji appalled from hearing these words.

"Does .. does that mean that she's feeling the same as I do?!", well, he was optimistic to a fault. The woman sighed another time.

"Yes, she indeed reciprocates your feelings. And that will invariably lead to either you or her leaving the crew, which will, in turn, make it impossible for your captain to become the new king.", his optimism vanished in the blink of an eye, these words felt like a sucker punch right into his stomach. Their feelings would destroy Luffy's dreams?!

"How's that possible?!", he didn't care about the fact that he was shouting.

"Don't you understand? It's of no matter if it's the sniper or the swordsman, you or her, the little doctor, the archaeologist, the cyborg and the bard or the bunny. All of you have been a part of his beating heart from the moment you joined his crew, even from the moment he laid eyes on you. A heart that cannot go on if a part of it is missing."

"I .. this cannot be! Just me being an idiot right now changes this course?!", sometimes, all it took was a snowball to start an avalanche.

"I promise you that you're not the only one who's annoyed by that. I've been specifically watching over the both of you for some time and misfortune does seem to follow.", a sad smile accompanied her words.

"Could .. could I make things right by taking back my proposal?", Sanji asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.

"Unfortunately not, no. The chain of events has already been set in motion."

"Then why the hell are you here?! Is it some kind of sick enjoyment of our pain?!", to that, she just let out a short, dry laugh.

"Absolutely not. I'm here to ensure the order of things. Tell me, my friend, what is it that you wish for the most?", the woman inclined her head to the side, now looking interested again.

"I wish for them to be happy, what else?! I .. I wish for Nami to have a happy, wonderful and fulfilled life, even if it is without me .. and I wish for Luffy to become the King of Pirates, I wish that all of them can fulfil their dearest wishes and dreams, even that green-haired punk shall become the greatest swordsman in the world .."

"Since I'm feeling generous today, you will have the chance to prove what your words are worth.", she simply said, touching his forehead with the tip of her finger. In the corner of his eye, he caught the glimpse of the spreading of tremendous black wings, engulfing the both of them in a soft embrace. After that, only darkness remained.


	3. Chapter 3

The feeling of her touch faded, as did the darkness. When Sanji finally opened his eyes again, a surprising amount of things had changed. So much indeed, that he was overcome by nausea.

He closed his eyes again and began rubbing his temples to get rid of it, and to cope with the fact that he had solid ground beneath his body, no longer the shaking deck of the Thousand Sunny. The rustling the ground made when he moved indicated that he was lying on something rather soft.

 _Straw?_ , he slowly thought while regaining his senses. Yes, it was straw, the smell was rather distinct, as was the one of burning tobacco that hit his nostrils only moments after.

"Already awake?", this time, it was a strangely familiar male voice. It took him a few seconds to realise that the stranger had taken on his male form again, forcing him to open his eyes and come to his feet. Even though he was still feeling slightly confused, his stance was solid again, readying himself for any ambush that might happen.

"At ease, friend. Take a few more seconds to come to your senses, you might need them. Hope you don't mind that I borrowed one of your cigarettes to pass the time.", the long-haired man was standing right next to a wooden door. Little by little, more impressions reached his sight. They must have been standing within some kind of a barn or a shack.

Still rubbing his temples, Sanji raised his voice a little. "Careful with that .. don't wan't to burn to death in here .. where are we?"

"Well, at least you're asking half the amount of right questions by now. Please, allow me to welcome you to Cocoyashi Village, ten years ago."

 _Cocoyashi .. isn't that .. Nami-san's home!_

His eyes were open wide and with sheer force of will, he pushed the nausea out of his system, becoming alert.

"That's not possible! Stop playing your shitty tricks on me.", his hands balled into fists. Whoever this person was, he or she went too far.

"I told you that you will be given the chance to prove your word's worth. Now listen to what I have to say, because time is short.", he was looking at him with the slightest hint of annoyance that also resounded in his words.

"Good. As I already said, this **is** Cocoyashi Village, on the exact day that the fates lay claim on the life of an innocent. In this particular case, it is a woman."

To any other person, these words could have meant anything. To Sanji though, Nami's past was a tragic story that he never, not even for a second, dared to forget.

"Bell-mère? Nami's mother?", he still did not fully believe to be here, but just for the off-chance of it, he went with it.

"That is indeed her name. And as I have promised, I will grant you permission to defy fate.. somewhat.", initially, the implications he made weren't exactly clear to Sanji, but he got at least some of it.

"Do you mean that I can act within this village?! Is there a chance to save Nami's mother?", even though he was still injured from the clash with the Big Mom Pirates, Sanji was fairly certain that he had become strong enough to take on Arlong and his crew. _I should spare Hatchan, though._ , he remembered when recalling the fishmen.

"To **somewhat defy fate** , my friend. Within reasonable boundaries. There's a catch to all of it. And if you'd hold your tongue for just a minute, I'd fill you in on those.", again, slight annoyance was found within his voice while Sanji feared for the worst.

"First off, what do you think will happen if you ease the pain of your navigator's tragic past? Not to her, I mean, but to you.", the gears of Sanji's mind began to work as fast they ever had. Was there so much to take into account? After a few more seconds, it began to dawn on him.

"If .. if I take away her pain by defeating Arlong before he could murder Bell-mère, would I still have a reason to do it in the present?", the stranger's smile was enough an answer to confirm his apprehension.

"No, you wouldn't. Actually, you couldn't have one, for it would cause a paradox. It's not the only reason, though. As I have already told you, the fates will claim the life of an innocent today, in this village, within the very minute that the fishman will shoot the mother. No matter what you do, the fates will have their due.", he sighed and Sanji's head began to hurt.

"But .. isn't me being here a paradox in its own right?", he closed his eyes and began massaging his temples again, this stuff was complicated.

"You're a bright one, aren't you? Indeed, it could be. That's kind of the whole point of bending the rules. When I took you here, I altered your existence .. a bit more than a little, to be perfectly frank. To the point of your crew having another cook and you never having met them. Yes, don't give me that bland look, you know your captain. Remember his charisma and his will to become the Pirate King, of course they would've found another cook, one that your navigator might or might not fall in love with. Not that it matters, though."

"Altered my existence? What exactly does that mean? Have I ever existed in my own time? Will I have a reason at all to come here? If they have another cook, is it even necessary to do anything here?", time travel sure was a different beast, even getting a grasp on something connected to it brought back the terribly nauseating feeling.

"You tell me, _Pariah_. No father, not even a surrogate father, no family, no crew. You're of the Void now. With all your adventures and feelings being but the passing of an ethereal dream, is there still a reason?", there it was again, slight interest within the ageless face of the stranger. For a long moment, Sanji was unable to answer. The situation was more complicated than he or the author of this story could have dreamed of. Breathing out slowly, he tried to grasp some of these memories that the stranger called ethereal.

"I .. I remember everything.", he slowly began, continueing the massage of his temples. "My .. mother, the iron mask .. Zeff and the terrible hunger .. Nami .. my _nakama_ ..", the headache got stronger, but Sanji's grasp on his old life did not waver, not even for a moment.

"Impressive. Very impressive. There's your answer, then. May these memories be your beacon within the Void, _Pariah_. As long as you remember them, things might not have been fully erased from existence. That is what the **something** is that is making humanity special! This universe is vast and uncaring, even a lifetime of a hundred years, whatever impact on that might be changing the world is worth nothing on a cosmic scale, but still, through heart and dreams, you manage to cling on to something. Your life, _Pariah_ , is but the blink of an eye. Still, you manage to give yourself purpose. The only way to survive, to be someone, is to provide your own torch in a universe that is indifferent about your very existence.", the stranger nodded solemnly and took another deep draw from the cigarette.

" **I WISH THAT I WAS ADOPTED BY A RICH FAMILY!** ", the sudden shout, followed by a door smashed shut, startled Sanji, especially since the voice seemed somewhat familiar.

"Was that Nami- _san_?!", he went for the barn's door to check on her, only to be stopped by the stranger's grip on his shoulder.

"Yes, it was. Time is marching on, hold out a minute longer because I feel that you're still not able to see the whole picture. **The fates will have their due** , my friend. Either they will claim an innocent life today or the consequences .. would be dire.", he finally let loose of his shoulder and smoked the last bit of the cigarette.

"If I kill Arlong, the fates will have what they want: A dead body!", Sanji finally shouted at the stranger, but only gained the shaking of his head as an answer.

"Someone innocent. Yes, Arlong would be dead, but he's not exactly what I'd call an innocent. Even I cannot foresee what would happen, but it ranges from a storm or a cataclysm to destroy Cocoyashi to just about anything. War might sweep over the village, another, even worse pirate might come to pillage and plunder and kill. If you try to deny the fates what is rightfully theirs, you will be paid back in kind.", the stranger crushed the cigarette under his heels, still staring at Sanji.

"Nami- _san_ and the others will be happy and able to reach their dreams within the time you've taken me from if I stay here, right?", finally, he was able to grasp the whole picture, along with what seemed to be the stranger's plan since the start of their conversation. He nodded in approval.

"Then the fates will have their due.", Sanji nearly spat out these words when the stranger finally allowed him to open the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, this chapter is finished, that's about the only positive thing I have to say here. It's not getting any better, too, at least not by my hand, so I might aswell upload it. Have fun.

Disclaimer 1: One Piece and its characters don't belong to me.

Disclaimer 2: Time travel is an annoying fuck and can go eat a buffet of dicks.

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Time stood still when he finally collected himself, opening the barn's door. As did his heart.

The same eyes that he had loved for many months, even years, were staring at him in confusion. Looked at from the outside, they were of a rather mundane brown, but there was so much more to them. Depth of character, a flicker of light, curiosity, a curtain made of finest silk that hid a spirit of steel, unwavering even when confronted with appalling odds and adversity.

He was shocked to see that even at this young age, she was no stranger to tears and pain. They seemed to be a necessary companion when it came to developing a character's resilience.

Even though her sight was blurred by hastily removed tears, her senses were as sharp as he remembered them to be. Only a second or two had passed when she raised a voice that would, in a few years, be the most wonderful sound in existence.

"Have you been smoking in the barn, you idiot?!", being accused by such a young girl seemed to be somewhat comically serious, but considering the task ahead, he wasn't able to force himself to smile.

"I .. no, I haven't, miss ..", he tried to begin, only to be rather rudely interrupted.

"What's that smell, then? You think I'm an idiot because I'm young?! I know your kind!", her perception was impressive. Not even ten seconds of looking at him had passed and she already made an assumption based on his appearance, his finely crafted clothing, the clean-cut hair and the suave air that surrounded him.

"You're one of the rich folk, thinking that the world belongs to you, right?! Strolling around like you're gods amongst us mere mortals, thinking that rules are made only for other people?!", it wasn't entirely her fault that her conclusion couldn't have been farther from the truth, to be fair. Sanji remembered the so-called 'Celestial Dragons' well enough, as well as his own thrice-damned father. Many people took pride because of the simple matter that they were born into the right family, thinking of it as divine grace.

In moments like these, he thought, it might have been the best to go with the truth, or whatever was closest to it.

"You are right, young lady. I've been smoking within the barn as I wasn't aware of the dry hay stored within. Please, accept my sincerest apology. I did not think about the consequences of my actions.", oh, Judge Vinsmoke would have killed him on the spot if he was witness to this scene. Sanji bend one knee to face the young girl at eye level, adopting a sombre, serious tone into his voice. "And I swear by the Winds, the Sea and the All Blue that it is not going to happen again."

His words took her aback, she might have expected everything, even him becoming aggressive. Everything but an apology.

It was refreshing to see that some of her traits, the ones he learned to love over many weeks and months on the sea, were already with her when she was a child. Nami shook off the momentary confusion and found her voice again.

"If you're really serious about being sorry, are you willing to pay for that transgression?", a risky gambit if one thought about it. Of course, she was in no position to threaten him, nevertheless her words made him smile, maybe for the first time since he arrived, though before he could answer anything, he heard the stranger's chuckle from inside of the barn.

To his utter surprise, so did she.

"Who was that?!", she took a step back immediately, ready to run away if need be. She certainly wasn't looking fearful, that he was sure of, it was a mere reflection of the start of her careful nature.

"I'm not entirely sure myself.", he replied. Did the stranger not say that he was the only one who could see him? Sanji had made the assumption that the same was true to hearing him. Or even smelling him, for that matter.

When the one who called himself a servant finally stepped into Nami's line of sight, her eyes widened. Not in fear, shock or confusion, but what seemed to be .. recognition. For the first time since her arrival, she was at a loss for words. The stranger simply smiled at her, his hands in his pockets in a casual stance, similar to that of Sanji.

"Alright, what should I make of that?", the cook wore his confusion on his sleeves, taking turns looking at her and his companion. "You told me that nobody but me would be able to see you. This occasion does seem to make you a liar."

The stranger simply shrugged and walked to his side, all the time smiling at the young Nami.

"It's a rather complicated matter, I fear."

Hearing his voice did seem to turn Nami's switch back on, as she found her voice again. "I .. are you .. aren't you a clergyman? I know you!", she said, all of a sudden being puzzled, pointing at the blonde's companion.

"See, I have told you that I've been watching over the both of you for some time now, haven't I?", the stranger didn't look at him when asking. Nevertheless, Sanji answered simply by nodding his head.

"Let me be a little more precise, _Pariah_ , I haven't been watching over the two of you as specific individuals, but your varying incarnations inbetween. Well, as the two of you are so prone to desaster, the need for me to take a more active role within this play arose from time to time.", that didn't answer the question of why she was able to see, even recognise him.

"It still is a rather rare occurence, I must admit. Much more likely to accompany children, because many of them dream more vividly than adults like you do.", the lunacy of this situation got comically serious, and it reflected within Sanji's face.

"Are you trying to tell me that we've, too, met before?"

"To put it plainly, yes. But you were an emotional wreckage and a broken man, mostly devoid of your dreams and hopes. So far out of touch with any of your other incarnations that, I guess, the memory of our brief conversation didn't drip into the collective mind of the being that is you, even throughout many individual forms.", it wasn't a good explanation, far less a comprehensible one, but it was something.

"But .. but if there really is something like a shitty collective mind, why isn't my head flooded with things that never happened to myself?"

Again, the stranger only shrugged. "Probably because that would make any human being barely able to function. It simply doesn't work with things that are mundane or mostly mundane. Both things are not exactly fit to describe what I am.", in the meantime, young Nami was able to recollect her boldness.

"What are you two talking about? Have you lost your mind?!", that assumption might not have been far from the truth, as this situation felt more and more like the trip into a weird nightmare.

"That, and we're wasting a lot of time here, _Pariah._ I dearly hope that you're actually able to work out a plan all amidst these entropic circumstances." He actually was working on a plan, as simple as humanly possible, but Nami's appearance could accelerate it's descent into unimaginable chaos. He had to do something against it, probably fast, as the sands of time were running down mercilessly.

"Nami- _san_ , I hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me.", he whispered as he probably made use of the inhuman speed his body had developed for the last time in his entire life. Both his hands reached for her shoulders and she cried out in shock, but it was too late. Again, he whispered.

"I will beg for your forgiveness, even in the afterlife.", and even though she fought against his grip, she never had a chance. It did not matter that his entire existence had been erased from his time, as long as he was able to remember his friends, his loved ones, his family, there was nothing stopping this ordinary human being from engaging in one last act of duty, love and honour.

He tried not to listen to her protest as he carried Nami inside the barn.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FREAK!", she cried out and drove her teeth into his arm, to little effect. Sanji had taken punishment beyond any human measure, the girl's teeth didn't even sting. Her fighting spirit was burning, and thus it was not a surprise that simply putting her on the barn's ground didn't stop her from trying to engage him, or from trying to run away. Desperate times called for desperate measures, at least that's what they said.

He turned around again, mimicking his movements from moments ago, and grabbed her by the shoulders. This time though, he went down to his knees, nearly forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Nami- _san_ , please, listen to me. I need you to stay inside at all costs.", her body tensed up under his palms and he felt terrible for telling her what was about to happen.

"Please, Nami, if I don't do what I came for, your mother .. she might die.", unsurprisingly, these words were more than enough to get the kid's attention. Even though Nami was, only a few minutes ago, full of rage because she hadn't been born into a wealthy family, no trace of it was left.

"Wh.. you're a liar! My mother's strong!", she cried in a shocked response, but tears were already building up within the corners of her eyes. Sanji shook his head and loosened his grip on her shoulders a little.

"Unfortunately, I'm not. You have told me how it happened. Don't ask questions, just listen. Time is running low. I came solely to avert her death, but to do that, I need you to stay out of sight. Do you understand that, Nami- _san_? Stay inside until I'm done and there shall be no harm to your mother or the entire village whatsoever. You .. you just have to trust me. I'd say one more time, Nami- _san_ , just one more time. For you, though, it will be the first time. For me, the last.", he didn't know what it was, but .. something in his face or within his voice and words did seem to move her. The tenseness of her body eased away and only a single tear was running down her cheek when she finally nodded, using all of her remaining willpower to press out the last words he was ever supposed to hear from her mouth.

"Please, save her .."


End file.
